Archive for the ‘humanity’ Category

“NAIROBI, 2 March 2012 (IRIN) – How is it that the world’s most popular fizzy drink reaches even the farthest-flung corners of the planet, yet vast numbers of children in developing countries die for lack of one of the cheapest and most effective preparations known to medical science?

The world’s second-biggest cause of child mortality, diarrhoea, kills about 1.5 million children every year. Three-quarters of these deaths could be prevented with a simple course of oral rehydration salts (ORS) combined with zinc tablets, at a cost of just US$0.50 per patient.

Yet, despite being heavily promoted by the World Health Organization since the 1970s, fewer than 40 percent of child diarrhoea cases in developing countries are treated with ORS. That figure falls below 1 percent when the treatment includes zinc, which reduces not only the duration and severity of diarrhoeal episodes but also the likelihood of subsequent infections.

“The challenge is not what to do but how to deliver [ORS] at very high coverage,” Abdulai Tinorgah, who heads the UN Children’s Fund’s Child Survival and Development section in Nairobi, told IRIN.”

Excerpts from the Secretary-Generals Remarks to Sydney UniversitySydney, 8 September 2011

“Ladies and Gentlemen,Around the world, sustainable peace must be built on sustainable development.Next month, the 7 billionth citizen of our world will be born.For that child, and for all of us, we must keep working to fight poverty, create decent jobs, and provide a dignified life while preserving the planet that sustains us.That is why I have said that the sustainable development agenda is the agenda for the 21st century.Above all, that means connecting the dots between challenges such as climate change and water scarcity, energy shortages, global health issues, food insecurity and the empowerment of the worlds women.On the surface, these might seem like distinct issues – but they are linked. And we have to find those linkages.

In Korea, we have a proverb that says it doesnt matter how many beads you have, without a thread, you will never make a necklace.We need to find the thread.”